Viewpoint
The Users’ Choice Award is one of the most prestigious categories at the World Communication Awards as it is based on results from an independent customer survey. This year the results focus on the theme of digital transformation in the business-to-business sector.
Nine companies make the shortlist, here is why. In a nutshell the Users’ Choice Award recognises the operator with the highest customer-centric transformation score.
According to Janet Watkin, Managing Director of Ocean82 “The success of any business transformation, ultimately, will be decided by user’ perceived value, experienced over time, ‘’the choice’ driver”.
It is in making decisions about which services to try, buy, and integrate that users themselves massively shape the business evolution of service providers. In making these decisions they are rejecting alternatives. These decisions are influenced by past experiences, not just of the product, but of dealing with the supplier organisations on a human level.
To effectively evaluate the transformation journey of major global providers, users were asked about the major decision factors that fed into their selection of offers and operators.There were four topics: Change (innovation, merger & acquisition) Selection (who to consider and first purchase), Replication, (buying more/contract renewal) and Co-operation (mutual benefit). Gauging the customer experience on each of these critical areas allows an analysis of digital transformation in a commercial context.
The digital zenith method (dizeme), used in the analysis, recognises that to measure perceptions of business evolution and organisation fit to environment the paradox that competition and co-operation are locked together in ceaseless conflict must be addressed.
The claim from evolving telcos is that their aim is to provide an unrivalled customer experience. The strategic approach, in nearly every case, claims to place the customer at the heart of the digital transformation. Each telco aspires to be truly ‘customer centric’.
The truth is that change is hard to embrace and many resist it. Silos are difficult to breakdown. In the words of Peter Drucker, the world renowned management consultant, ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast.’ Strong leadership to bring about alignment of people and process to deliver an outstanding customer experience is vital.
Confidence in digital transformation to provide agility and flexibility means much more than offering technological solutions. It means the market must embrace new innovations and suppliers must manage demand effectively in the face of a changing competitive landscape. A culture of care must prevail. In the business enterprise market this is done most successfully through the development of trusted partnerships between supplier and customer.
THE 2017 USERS’ CHOICE SHORTLIST
AT&T
BT
NTT Communications
Orange Business Services
Singtel
Tata Communications
Telefonica
Verizon
Vodafone
To see who wins, book your table for the World Communication Awards dinner in London on the 28 November 2017.
Greater insight into the research behind this award category can be found in Ocean82’s new Digital Zenith Benchmark report, which will be published on the 1 November 2017. Find out more by contacting Ocean82 or download the Transformation overview document.
